Category: Mining for Heart

Mining for Heart: “How a Patchwork Quilt Reflects a Patchwork World” by Ann McCallum Staats

August 28, 2026

Just as perspective led to Karen Nyberg’s global quilt project from space, author Ann McCallum Staats found the heart of A QUILT OF STARS: ASTRONAUT KAREN NYBERG STITCHES A DREAM by exploring perspective. In this fascinating story, a bit of tradition and old-fashioned skills find their place in space! GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment below for … More Mining for Heart: “How a Patchwork Quilt Reflects a Patchwork World” by Ann McCallum Staats

Mining For Heart: “How Past Memories Helped Me Find the Emotional Core of WINTER SOLSTICE HILL” by Cathy Ogren

August 21, 2026

When an author can embed the emotional core of their connection to a story, it’s easy for readers to connect and bring something special from it to their own lives. Author Cathy Ogren is really good at mining her memories, and in this post she shares how that played a role in writing WINTER SOLSTICE … More Mining For Heart: “How Past Memories Helped Me Find the Emotional Core of WINTER SOLSTICE HILL” by Cathy Ogren

Mining for Heart: “Tune + Topic = the Heartbeat of Story” by Lynn Becker

July 24, 2026

As one of author Lynn Becker’s critique partners, I have to tell you that her tuneful stories can keep you humming and tapping long after the meeting! But it’s not all fun and songs, she tweaks and fine-tunes until every word is just right and the story sings! Congratulations on this fabulous book, Lynn! And … More Mining for Heart: “Tune + Topic = the Heartbeat of Story” by Lynn Becker

Mining for Heart: “Finding a Story’s Heart in the Place Where it Happened (and How to Get There Without Leaving Home)” by Colleen Paeff

July 10, 2026

Visiting a place is magical, but authors can’t always do that to research a story. Here’s a fantastic post from author Colleen Paeff on how she landed on the heart of her puffling rescue story in Iceland, along with some tips for how to get a sense of place, people, and the heart of a … More Mining for Heart: “Finding a Story’s Heart in the Place Where it Happened (and How to Get There Without Leaving Home)” by Colleen Paeff

Mining for Heart: “Kindred Spirits”—Gary Golio on Silence Sounds Simple

July 3, 2026

Finding your own deep connection to a person, topic, or event can create the path to finding the heart of the story. In this post, author Gary Golio shares his experience with his latest release, SILENCE SOUNDS SIMPLE: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOHN CAGE. GIVEAWAY! We’ve got a copy of SILENCE SOUNDS SIMPLE … More Mining for Heart: “Kindred Spirits”—Gary Golio on Silence Sounds Simple

Mining for Heart: “Widening the Scope of an Animal Concept Book” by Zewlan Moor

June 19, 2026

The pandemic a few years ago put us all in the throes of history and pushed thinking in many ways, not only medically, but also regarding human connections. And here we have a children’s book by Zewlan Moor impacted by creative greetings that widened the scope of greetings in the animal world. Giveaway!! Leave a … More Mining for Heart: “Widening the Scope of an Animal Concept Book” by Zewlan Moor

Mining for Heart: “The Heart of a Story Starts with a Spark” by Melissa Koch

May 15, 2026

Any kids who fill their pockets with rocks definitely need this book! In this post, Melissa Koch shares the spark that started STONE BY STONE: A ROCK’S JOURNEY THROUGH TIME and how she revised for the heart in this engaging approach. GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of STONE … More Mining for Heart: “The Heart of a Story Starts with a Spark” by Melissa Koch

Mining for Heart: “The Promise of the Packhorse Librarians” by Lauren Kerstein

April 17, 2026

I’m hopping on The Children’s Book Review blog tour bandwagon for author Lauren Kerstein and her amazing new release: HOPE RODE: THE PROMISE OF THE PACKHORSE LIBRARIANS! GIVEAWAY! Don’t miss the special opportunity below to win a signed copy of HOPE RODE from Lauren Kerstein! Congratulations to Teresa Robeson, the winner of a copy of … More Mining for Heart: “The Promise of the Packhorse Librarians” by Lauren Kerstein

Mining for Heart: “Diving Deep Past First Impressions” by Anne Lambelet

October 24, 2025

I “met” Anne Lambelet when she created phenomenal art for CLOAKED IN COURAGE: UNCOVERING DEBORAH SAMPSON, PATRIOT SOLDIER. Today you get a peek behind and inside Anne’s latest release, I’M A DUMBO OCTOPUS! A GRAPHIC GUIDE TO CEPHALOPODS. I have to tell you, it’s totally fun! And I learned a lot! GIVEAWAY! Anne is gifting … More Mining for Heart: “Diving Deep Past First Impressions” by Anne Lambelet

Mining for Heart in the Absence of Compassion: WORTHY: THE BRAVE AND CAPABLE LIFE OF JOSEPH PIERCE by Andrea Wang

September 26, 2025

Author Andrea Wang’s latest book is beautiful in text and art, and at the same time heartbreaking and inspiring. The path to the heart of WORTHY: THE BRAVE AND CAPABLE LIFE OF JOSEPH PIERCE she shares here is such a perfect example that shows how “heart” arises from the connection between author and research, that … More Mining for Heart in the Absence of Compassion: WORTHY: THE BRAVE AND CAPABLE LIFE OF JOSEPH PIERCE by Andrea Wang